How long could your memory card last?

Footage retention in days = card capacity × 90% ÷ daily recorded data. The remaining 10% is reserved for planning. Theoretical writing duration in days = nominal card capacity × assumed full-card writes ÷ daily recorded data. Years use 365 days. Decimal GB are used throughout; display values are rounded, calculations are not.

The 300, 500 and 800 assumptions describe equivalent writes to a finished card, not flash-chip erase cycles. Their durations do not measure card health or predict a failure date. No extra endurance safety factor is built in: the 10% recording-space reserve is not a measured endurance reduction. An estimate above ten years is displayed as “>10 years”, not an expected service life.

The card’s controller manages where data is written. Internal writing, how evenly writes are distributed, the supplied configuration and the device conditions affect the result. Program/erase (P/E) cycles describe flash-memory erase and rewrite operations; they are not automatically equivalent to filling a finished card once.

Ask for an endurance rating and conditions for the card you will receive. A high number on its own cannot confirm that it will meet your application.

The picture presets use approximate H.264 recording rates: 720p through 4K from Hikvision’s reference table; 480p uses the older bulletin’s “Better” column. Frame rate means frames recorded per second; 2K here is 2560 × 1440, 4K is 3840 × 2160, and 480p is 640 × 480.

For 20 and 25 fps, this tool estimates a rate between the 15 and 30 fps reference values using linear interpolation; these intermediate rates are not manufacturer measurements. These are reference settings, not tests of your camera. Motion, picture quality, audio and compression can change the amount written. Use measured daily file sizes when available. Source brands do not endorse YOULEN or establish its card ratings.

• Hikvision: H.264 reference recording rates
• Hikvision: older 480p reference

Part-day recording starts at 8 hours per day. Activity-only recording starts at 2 hours in total per day. These are editable planning scenarios, not measured customer behaviour. The low-frame scenario splits the day into 2 hours of normal event recording and 22 hours of background recording; it never counts those event hours twice.

The low-frame background rate starts at an illustrative 0.256 Mbps per lens. It is not derived from the selected resolution and is not a specification from YOULEN or a camera manufacturer. Change it to a measured rate, or enter the whole day’s file size. Camera implementations differ; a low frame rate alone cannot establish the file size.

Bad blocks are areas of flash memory that cannot reliably store data. Some can be present from manufacture; others can develop with wear. The card must manage them so they are not used for your files. A raw flash bad block is not by itself proof that a finished card is faulty.

YOULEN checks finished cards for bad blocks and speed before shipment. These checks and our first-year quality commitments are separate from the estimated time to use a writing allowance. The calculation does not detect faults or prove a card’s remaining life.

Try recording, playback and loop overwriting in the device you will supply. Include the modes your customers use, such as parking recording. Tell YOULEN about heat, power interruptions or difficult access so we can help review the configuration and sample checks.

For important footage, plan regular checks and another copy where possible. If recording errors appear, protect needed files and investigate—do not wait for a calculated replacement date.